A family that founded a property maintenance and repair business from a Portakabin in their back garden in 1963 have cashed in after selling most of the business to British Gas for £30 million.

Centrica, the British Gas owner, confirmed today it had bought two of the three divisions of PH Jones as it builds on its increasing involvement in the social housing services sector.

PH Jones was set up in the North West in 1963 by plumber Phil Jones and now has a multimillion-pound turnover, with more than 1,200 staff, providing property maintenance and metering services to the public